


Gifts From Father

by Arrias_Enigmatic



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Asshole Dad Makes A House Call, Body Horror, Gift Fic, Horror, I Ended Up Getting Weirdly Invested With Shadow's New Eating Habit, I Slam La Croix Because I Hate It, I WILL FIGHT THE ASSHOLE DAD DON'T TEST ME YEEHAW, If You Think There Will Be Comfort... (Evil Laugh) THINK AGAIN, Psychological Horror, Shadow Gets Extra Trauma, Shadow Has A Really Bad 2 Weeks, Shadow Has A Really Bad 2 Weeks The Fic, Shadow's In Denial Until Things Become So Much Worse, angst and hurt, raw meat consumption
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:21:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26409382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arrias_Enigmatic/pseuds/Arrias_Enigmatic
Summary: It was a just a morning of waking up in a fowl mood.Why did it become so horrifying?
Relationships: Rouge the Bat & Shadow the Hedgehog
Comments: 21
Kudos: 57





	Gifts From Father

**Author's Note:**

> In depth warnings!!
> 
> -Body Horror  
> -Blood (Regular and Alien) and Gore  
> -Raw Meat Consumption  
> -Scoptophobia/Scopophobia
> 
> This fic took me a while to write. Why, you may ask? This is version 2.0, over 7,000-nearing 8,000-words. The first version was a lot shorter and more to the point. After reading Chapter 8 of A Problem Of Paradoxical Proportions by tharkflark1 and stagemanager, I got hit HARD with that inspiration. (Go read their fic, it's amazing!!)
> 
> So this version is Much Worse.
> 
> This fic is for Smallpwbbles (on tumblr) of her Black Arms Shadow AU! She's got many doodles and little comics for the AU, a few of which were used in the fic itself.  
> Go check her out, she does wonderful artwork!! https://smallpwbbles.tumblr.com/  
> I like my angst, I LOVE my body horror and transformation sequences, and Shadow is my favorite Sonic character. So I put him through the wringer like nobody's business. (My thought process for using some of the silly comics as scenes: How can I make this horrifying? OH I KNOW-)
> 
> Eh, it's a living.

It started just one day exactly two weeks ago. How could something so small become a horror?

**_14 days ago._ **

Shadow woke up in a fowl mood, but he couldn't tell why. Every little thing seemed so grating, so irritating, that it made his skin crawl, prickling his fur. He swore to himself that he could manage throughout the day until returning home, where he could relax.

Easier thought than done.

Thankfully there were no dire missions, just a simple scouting task in an area with rumors of Eggman activity. Rouge took to the skies overhead, Shadow wandering through a simple maze of underground caverns.

 _《You should have seen Red's face, absolutely priceless!》_ Rouge's voice sounded through the slight static of their comm links, echoing off the caverns. He knew she meant well, appeasing his boredom of just wandering the dimly lit structures, but the echo was overpowering his senses, disorienting him. 

"Rouge, I appreciate the stories, but could you lower your volume? The echo is… grating." Shadow lowered his wrist, turning to peer down a branching path. He started walking down said branch when Rouge spoke again.

 _《Aaaw, a little ol' echo not pleasant?》_ Shadow growled at the comment. _《Never thought such thing could upset you, Mr. Ultimate.》_

Shadow _knew_ it was just some light-hearted teasing, but at that moment it felt as if the bat spat in his face. He raised his comm to his mouth, flicking on the microphone.

"Rouge," his low tone screamed pissed, "So help me, if you continue with the _insults,_ I _will-_ "

A brief flash of _something_ caused the ebony hedgehog to stumble back, giving a short cry of surprise, gripping his head at the dull throb cutting through his clarity. Once his senses came under wraps, he found himself on the floor, back flush against the cool rocks. He drew in sharp breaths, his ruby eyes catching the flashing light of his comm before the voice registered. 

_《-dow? Shadow? Do you copy? Shadow!》_

"Yes, I'm- I'm here." He shook his head, wincing before creating another ball of Chaos Energy as he stood. "I'm alright. The oxygen might be thinning, I'll mark my spot and head out. I'll try again in a few minutes." 

Rouge gave an acknowledging hum, but if she spoke he didn't hear.

Why was that silhouette familiar?

θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ 

**_12 days ago._ **

It was a slow day, Shadow had the day off (Rouge as well, but she had an appointment with a spa), so he went to Tails' workshop. He brought his motorcycle along, for (a viable excuse, no way was he giving Sonic's ego a boost) a check-in. Tails worked in the garage, Shadow, Sonic, and Knuckles outside on the currently sheathed landing strip.

"So you broke a mug?" Sonic inquired.

"Yes, though that wasn't the intention. Luckily it was an easy repair, using food safe glue." Shadow uncrossed his arms, reaching for his drink.

"Woah there, bud." Knuckles called from the treetop. "You might just break your cup when Tails opens the door." He gave a mocking chuckle; Sonic grinned but held in his laughter. 

Shadow had to hold back a concerning, brief urge to punt Knuckles back to the Master Emerald Shrine. He wasn't even going to mention the fact of a handle-shaped hole resting behind his main door, if this ridicule was anything to go by. 

After a race around the Mystic Ruins, the sun now casted long shadows around the land, although it had yet to start dipping below the horizon.

"Hey, nice race out there. You managed to keep up the whole way; at this rate you might even beat me!" Sonic gave a light hearted punch to Shadow's shoulder. 

Retaliation was imminent.

But Shadow didn't expect to send Sonic through the cement wall of the workshop.

Knuckles let out an exclamation of "HOLY-" as Shadow clutched his hand to his chest, body turned away from the architectural carnage. 

"I-I...I'm ooookaaaaaay." Sonic raised a finger weakly from his sprawled position. Knuckles cackled up a storm, clutching his midsection.

"That punch wasn't intended to be that hard..." Shadow trailed off, staring at his fist in disbelief.

Tails poked through the hole, staring at the collapsed body of his brother, before looking to the red striped hedgehog in questioning confusion. 

Shadow gave an apologetic look, before the _something_ from two days prior flashed in his mind again. He winced, taking a step back, the action causing Tails and Knuckles to look at him with concern. Shaking his head, a "Chaos Control" was whispered, then ebony was gone.

The silhouette was adorned with red stripes.

θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ 

**_11 days ago._ **

Shadow awoke in the early hour of 8 A.M. to a tilting, swirling world with a dreadful hammering occupying his head. He tried to sit up before unceremoniously flopping back onto the sheets. 

An hour went by before he attempted to try again. Although the world no longer tilted, the hammering persisted. Thankfully it was only one official G.U.N. meeting for the day, he could last a few hours sitting in a large office. 

A tad easier said than done. 

By noon, the world was swimming again. He started feeling better after his lunch break (even if his food did taste...off), but the hammering made it hard to focus on the speakers. Eternally grateful that agents received classified transcripts of all meetings, he left the office around 6 P.M. Rouge awaited him at the base of the stairs just outside the building, offering a wave. Shadow waved back.

Just before his eyes rolled back and he collapsed to the cool, shaded stone.

The ebony hedgehog could barely register her face in front of his, as she was blocked by the _something,_ this time doubled, shielding her eyes with most of its face.

θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ 

**_10.5 days ago._ **

Shadow came to the next day (he could say so, it was 3 A.M. on the dot) on his bed, not bothering to even roll over until 6 A.M. A yellow sticky note adorned with red ink greeted his sight, resting on his nightstand lamp.

_Hey hon, you gave me a scare yesterday (and a workout to boot.) I called in for you, saying you caught a cold. You're good to rest for 2 days._

_Hope you feel better soon. Call if you need me._

_-Rouge ◇♡_

Shadow was content to lay there for the next few hours, keeping his turning to world record minimum. Eventually a need for food won out, and he dragged himself out of bed.

He didn't even make it under the door frame before he keeled over, head thundering with his pulse, the world a nauseating whirlwind of color and black fog. 

When he could actually see his hand against the pale floor, he tried standing up. 

He vomited instead. 

He opted to crawl to the fridge, desperate to ease the gnawing hunger. He pulled out leftovers, prepackaged food, takeout, any and all the device offered. At this point, he didn't care that the food tasted like La Croix sparkling water (it didn't deserve that title), _he needed to eat._

Shadow came to amidst half eaten food, spilled containers, and ripped packaging. His head had toned down his throbbing, but he still wished to do nothing more than lay on the cold floor and sleep. It was through a desire to not leave a revolting mess that he cleaned up the spilled nutrition and expelled stomach contents. After that, he went straight to his bed, face planting into the duvet and conking out right then and there. 

The silhouette gained a new colored shape, a ring of yellow.

θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ 

**_9 days ago._ **

"Here, read this. It's a report of the drug bust from two weeks ago. Madonna thinks it has some correlation to the underground ring her unit's pursuing." Rouge handed him a manilla folder, clicking the keys on her laptop as she did so.

Just because Shadow didn't go into the field didn't mean he wasn't going to do his job. The agents (sans Omega because A) he was in the shop for his weekly tune up and B) there was no way he'd fit through the door) looked over file after file, attempting to help out a fellow agent Rouge was proud to call an 'allied friend'. 

His migraine didn't dissipate completely, but it was a bearable throb compared to yesterday. His food still tasted like that horrid concoction they dare say was flavored, but found that coffee managed to sate his appetite. 

"Hey Shadow, could you hand me that file by your right elbow? I need to do a cross reference." Said ebony hedgehog took a swig of his steaming drink as he handed her the file, eyes closed in much needed satisfaction after yesterday's fridge raid.

"Thank you, it shouldn't b- OW!" 

Her cry startled both, causing him to choke on his drink. Once he could breath, he turned to the thieving agent. 

Rouge held her hand, looking over the back of it. Shadow raised himself slightly off the chair, tilting his head and body alike to gain a better view point. Red stained too dark against pristine white, and he couldn't help but stare. Only when Rouge turned to look at him did Shadow get up, heading to the bathroom. 

He pressed his fingers to the cool mirror, clicking it off the magnets and opening the cabinet. Both bandages and gauze were removed as he didn't know the extent of her wound, and rubbing alcohol to clean it. 

The grating _skreeee_ that filled his ears made him wince, migraine flaring up for a moment.

Four long scratch marks greeted his sight, causing Shadow to turn his hand over. His gloves had claws poking through the tips, fraying the material at the ends. 

He flipped his hand over a few more times to make sure it wasn't some hallucination, doing the same to the other halfway through. He kept staring in disbelief, even as he sauntered out of the bathroom and handed Rouge the supplies.

"I think I need to trim my nails. Sorry for scratching you." 

Rouge casted him a small smile for an 'it's alright' look, before pulling off her white opera glove. In the few moments he was gone, a small puddle of blood had accumulated on the cloth, a smaller smear residing on her skin once removed. Tiny beads swelled up from the scratches, lining the surface like dewdrops.

Crimson eyes stayed transfixed on the patches of red, going unnoticed by teal irises. A moment later, Shadow felt something dribble past his lips, wincing once more as the _something_ fleetingly filled his vision. He brought two fingers to the liquid trail, pulling away from his face a strand of saliva.

_Am- am I drooling?_

A look of abject horror crossed his face, going unnoticed by the snow white bat. He looked between her, the blood patch on her glove, and the strand of saliva trailing off his fingers. After the umpteenth round of looking between the three, he feverishly wiped the saliva off his face, shaking his head. This action caught Rouge's eye.

"Shadow, you alright?" Concern graced her features.

"Y-yeah, just a headache."

The silhouette had red in the center of its shape.

θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ 

**_8 days ago._ **

It was just a simple gesture.

Eggman sent out a small party of robots because of course, and Shadow happened to be in the general area to catch the sound of the attack. He made his grand entrance by round housing Metal Sonic across the clearing into the stone precipice. Sonic turned to look at him once he skidded to a halt, the spin dash to Metal interrupted.

"Glad ya could make it." Emerald fell to ebony fists, catching sight of the slight wardrobe change. "Heyo, nice gloves, Shads!" 

Shadow's face gave a brief flush at the compliment. These were new gloves, black cloth and fingerless, after he found his new claws poked through every white pair that had finger sleeves. The cuffs stayed the same between the two. He liked the style.

Metal fled, either finding what he came for or just not wanting to deal with this right now (more likely the latter), leaving only a handful of robots to destroy. 

Within minutes the last of them laid in smouldering heaps of charred metal. 

"Ha HA! That'll show Egghead! Until he decides to, y'know, attack again. But anyway-!" 

Sonic stuck out his tongue, catching Shadow' eye. Shadow didn't think anything of it, he just followed suit with only half interest.

So the faces he received caught him very off guard.

He drew his tongue back in, replying with a sharp "What?"

"It's nothing, we just didn't, ah, realize your tongue…" Tails spoke up, then trailed off at Shadow's quizzical look.

"My tongue? What about it?"

The others danced their eyes around each other, none wanting to make contact with crimson irises. This irritated him to no end, and he opened his mouth to speak.

"Has your tongue always had that gradient?" Amy beat him to it.

It was when she asked that he noticed the ache flooding his mouth. Funny, it's as if it was waiting for someone to point out the change.

Clamping a hand over the offending area, the red striped hedgehog muttered 'Chaos Control' through his fingers, vanishing in a flash. 

When the light dissipated, he turned to face his bathroom mirror, the same scratches from yesterday still presenting the wood back. Sucking in breath through his fingers, he removed his hand shortly after, opening his mouth as the limb lowered.

He did not expect a radioactive green to stain his mouth like artificially colored juice. 

Shadow stuck out his tongue, looking for the aforementioned gradient. Green clung to the muscle, but he could clearly see how it faded from a slightly washed out reddish-pink to a deep maroon. 

His teeth were ablaze, feeling as if dentist pliers were trying to uproot them. The jaw was locked open, and no matter how he tried to close it, the joints wouldn't respond. He winced, squeezing his eyes shut, briefly turning away from the mirror as the _something_ flashed another time, swearing he could hear a deep, gravelly, low chuckle. 

A deep, ripping pain flared at the tip of his tongue, and he twisted his head back to the mirror. More green dripped off his tongue, but not because it mixed with his saliva.

Confusion turned into terror as Shadow watched his tongue split, green spilling out of the new divot. He struggled to make any vocal reactions, each cry coming out as cut off exclamations and whimpers.

His teeth burned as he watched his canines pull themselves further out of his gums, that wretched green beading between the two materials. The world tilted, the ebony hedgehog draped heavily over the bathroom counter, open mouth poised over the sink for saliva and mystery fluid to drain.

Shadow didn't know how long he stayed in that position, but his knees ached and back cracked when he stood. Despite his jaw feeling very abused, he opened his mouth, daring to look at the changes.

Well, no green remained in his mouth, that's a good thing, right?

A split now existed in his tongue, forking the muscle- thankfully- only a quarter of it's length. The canines brushed the top of his tongue, and peaked through his lips when his mouth closed. 

He didn't even catch a glimpse of the strange bump situated between his eyes.

The silhouette had six long points around the red and yellow.

θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ 

**_6 days ago._ **

Rouge peered over her menu to look at Shadow, who currently looked a shade paler that normal. When the snow-colored bat went to the ebony hedgehog earlier in the day, she took note of his complexion, deciding then and there to take him out for a friendly lunch. She figured his paleness was due to not getting outside as much, with no real Eggman sightings, scouting decrepit former bases and attending G.U.N. meetings in the past couple weeks.

In truth it's because he was eating so little. He didn't need food all that often, but since he first collapsed in the cavern, a slow but aching hunger took root in him. The fact that most of the food he stocked or received became more off-tasting since that day didn't help either. He managed to power through it at first, but as the days passed he found it harder and harder to stop himself from gagging during and after he ate. Hopefully he could find something other than coffee to eat here; his insides _burned_ , prickling his fur. 

Crimson eyes scanned over the menu once more, closing the pamphlet when he could find nothing that sounded like it could sate his wrenching hunger. The hand under the table clenched around his middle, claws digging into his skin but not breaking the surface. Leaning back in his chair, he scanned the room, looking at the various dishes he couldn't enjoy with whatever's happening to his body-

The plate at table seven caught his eyes, causing him to sit up in interest. His stare stayed fixated on the dish, even as Rouge placed her hand over his to catch his attention. His mouth started to clog up with saliva, a thin line escaping the corner of his mouth. 

"Hey, Shadow, the waiter's here. Something caught your fancy?" Rouge's words brought him out of his narrowing haze. He turned to his friend, then the patient waiter.

"That table over there," he pointed to the one that caught his eyes, "What's her dish?"

The waiter turned, catching the meal Shadow thought was too good to be true.

"Oh, that's a steak tartare. Is that what you want?"

"Yes, please." The red striped hedgehog gave a curt nod.

"Alright, it'll be a short wait. Hang tight for a few." The waiter walked away to bring their order to the chefs. He watched them enter the saloon doors, then turned back to his companion, who had pulled out her phone.

"Got a message from the Commander, we'll have to take the food to go."

Shadow blinked, anger slowly dawning on his features as he made his way to the femme's car, but he couldn't tell you why. He swallowed thickly as he sat in the passenger seat, crossing his arms and gripping them to bring himself back down.

The bump on his forehead gained a slit down the center.

"-the hell does he think he is?!" Shadow growled. 

The duo were the only occupants in this breakroom, Rouge fixing herself a coffee for a late night wake-up. Shadow stood on the other side, standing by the wall in case he needed to punch something.

The commanding officer of Madonna's unit had a few… choice words about how she collected her findings. Apparently he didn't consider different units helping each other "useful", unless under direct orders from Commander Tower himself. 

"I don't care what position of power he's in, he had no right to talk to you that way!"

Rouge offered him a coffee, which he eagerly took, drinking despite the slightly off taste. 

"Look, don't worry about it. He just-"

"No, even if he doesn't enjoy working with other units, it still doesn't give him the right to go off on you like that!" The ebony hedgehog set his drink down on a nearby table. "The evidence you found is saving them time, providing more flexibility to plan out what they need to do! He should _not_ be talking down to you!"

He curled and unfurled his fingers, giving him some grounding. His face had a pale flush to it, and he could feel a small pressure in his chest. "You're an elite agent, he should talk to you with manners and respect, god dammit! You've gotten important information in days that would've taken weeks for them, he should be thanking you! What kind of ungrateful, selfish, full of himself, revolting pric-!"

Shadow clapped a hand over his mouth, bringing his other over and squeezed his midsection. An intense, burning pressure was building, rushing up his throat and making him gag. His face's flush grew larger, deepening to a washed out red. 

Rouge stepped forward to offer help to her friend. She promptly stepped back when teal irises caught his red stripes. In all her time of knowing Shadow, she'd never expect the splashes of color to glow.

Shadow continued to gag, trying to dislodge whatever decided to take residence in his throat. Back arching, eyes squeezed shut, each cough wracked his body with tremors. 

A burning bubble forced itself up his throat, stinging his eyes as it traveled. He could feel it in the back of his mouth, unclasping the hand held over it, the flush on his face and crimson eyes now glowing a bright red.

Of all the things he expected to hack up during his coughing fit, a stream of fire was unexpected. Eyes widening is sheer confusion, with a bit of horror thrown in, he could only stare at the crimson flames.

He didn't even register the higher, broader viewpoint, situated between his eyes. 

The stream lasted a few moments, before dying to a point where Shadow bit it off. The glow on his head quills' stripes died from their brilliant red during the fire to their normal cherry color a moment later. 

He clasped a hand over his throat, rubbing to ease the still lingering acrid burn. His other hand pressed flush against his white patch of chest fur, caressing gently to relieve a faint pressure it held. 

The remembrance of his friend still being in the room stiffened his body, eyes widening one more as he shifted only them to look at her.

Rouge's face held a look of disturbed fascination and confused horror. She couldn't close her mouth, the joints in her jaw making her hold an open grimace. She could see, and he could feel, a trail of dark red residue escape his mouth and roll down his chin.

Neither of the two agents spoke, Shadow having resumed his soothing strokes, Rouge at a complete loss of what to say.

After a time that felt like an eternity, she spoke.

"I-I don't know if there's a doctor for that."

The silhouette's slit pupil was so hauntingly familiar.

θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ 

**_4 days ago_ **.

By nightfall the day Shadow became an impromptu flamethrower, all the food in his house no longer tasted like food. 

Swissroll cake? Sponge and lotion. Bread and crackers? Styrofoam and packing peanuts. Any fruit? Jelly candles. Juice? Printing ink. Any vegetable? Rubber cement. Seafood? Stress balls. Thick shakes? Glue. Pasta? Paint chips. Not even water was safe; he could still drink it, but it tasted like water left out for days that started to accumulate dust. 

He'd run himself ragged searching for something, anything that tasted normal, still felt edible. Any food he managed to force down his throat came back up violently not even five minutes later, and he could still feel the lingering dry heaving burns in the back of his throat. 

His only saving grace was coffee, but it had to be brewed, with no additives. If he tried to eat the beans straight and drink hot water (as he normally does), his mouth was overwhelmed with scratching granite and hot dust. Adding anything made him heave for a solid hour. He was running out of nearby markets to pop into with the ridiculous amount of coffee he had half-daily alone.

He pulled open the cabinets, seeing nothing other than coffee bags and cans, all with no flavoring. He shut the wooden doors, leaning back against the fridge, slowly sinking to the floor as he thought.

 _It all tastes revolting, why is it so wrong? Nothing's working, it's not working and I don't know why. Please, please let me find something,_ _anything_ _, I can't-!_

With a flick of an imaginary switch, Shadow remembered the takeout from the diner. He scrambled upwards and opened the door, eyes falling on the styrofoam box. Pulling out a fork and sitting at his table, he slowly opened the container. There, in mouthwatering glory, sat the steak tartare.

His hand shook as he severed a piece of meat, continuing to do so as he brought it to his mouth.

Savoury, hearty, full-bodied flavor flooded his taste, instantly diving for bite after bite, devouring his food with relentless energy. Once finished, he felt better, almost back to his usual standards before the day in the caverns. He pulled out his phone, pulling up a browser to inquire about the meal as he threw out the packaging and unused herbs.

The results popped up once he arrived at the trashcan, clicking the result as the container hit the bottom.

Served with onions, peppers, Worcestershire sauce...yolk on top...raw beef-

Alarms went off in his head.

 _Wait, raw? Of all the dishes, why did that catch my eye? I've never tasted meat under well done, why would I think it looks so... delicious? The way the juices gleamed, the marbled color beautifully mixing, rich with fat and muscle…_

A flash in his mind, and the floor rushed to his face. Thankfully he managed to brace himself with his arm before another face-plant (he felt like Sonic with the amount of face-first dives he's done). He expected more dry heaving, automatically lurching forward, but no nausea came with the action. 

Shadow focused on his hand, still lingering with the scent of the meat, as drool rolled down his chin.

_I needed more._

The thought terrifies him.

It's nice, arriving at a location, finding it scarcely filled with others before the larger (and more nosy) crowd reared their heads. Less prying eyes, less to see his turmoil.

At the early hour of 7 AM, Shadow found himself standing before the butcher shop's selection. Wall to wall, ceiling to floor, a beautiful marble of reds, pinks, whites and shades in between painted a scene he had to physically hold himself back from devouring right then and there. His claws, still as sharp as when they first appeared, pressed into his fur, a physical reminder to hold back. Every so often had him wiping his mouth of spilled drool. He didn't dare look at the variety of meats, not until he was sure no prying eyes were in sight. Crimson eyes scanned the area, catching no onlookers and silently thanking whatever forces were in play to make that happen.

He drew in a deep breath through his nose, bracing himself with squeezed eyes, opening them with an exhale. 

The reaction was imminent.

Shadow clutched at his stomach, every type of cut, a multitude of sections, and all variations causing him to bite his lip a tad too hard. A tiny bead of blood, red with a drop of green, mixed with his drool as it dribbled past his lips. Hunger corroded his insides, starting to creep past his common sense. Shadow spotted a particularly juicy looking cut, eyes a little too wide as he shakily picked up the foam tray it rested on. He brought it close to his face, as if inspecting for any flaws (his hunger was so strong he didn't care if he found any). Even through the packaging he caught the scent of an intoxicating, inviting aroma. 

His vision tunneled, a red and black fog edging the corners, blocking everything but the flesh in his grip. The free hand moved over the clear wrapping, reaching with claws at the ready to slice through the packaging so he could stop the nausea and pain, be rid of the awful feeling of no normalcy, _finally eat and_ _get his fill-_

Another patron bumped into him from the side, offering a 'Sorry!' before going to another section farther down the aisle.

He stared at the package, claws straining the wrapping but not piercing, too close to his face he could _smell_ the juices _(no- no it's blood-)_ before dropping the package and stepping back. Vigorously shaking his head, the hungered haze cleared a moment later. 

_What is WRONG with me?!_

Shadow knew this wasn't him, _something_ infecting him and taking over. He took his basket off the floor, fully intent on looking for anything but the meat he ravenously stared at moments before.

A sharp stab of pain in his gut detrimented those plans. He tried for another step, visibly wincing, clutching at his stomach again as an even stronger stab of pain went through his system. 

Shadow turned to look at the butcher's assortment, a pleading look of pure, anguished horror straining his face.

"Whoa, that quite the selection (not to mention volume) of meat there! You going to some sort of extended family reunion barbecue soon?" The cashier gave a questioning, but well meaning glance at the ebony hedgehog. (It was 7:30, she didn't need to start asking the Real Questions until 10.)

Shadow gave her a weak smile in return.

"Something like that."

Discarded packaging littered the kitchen floor as Shadow sank his fangs into his sixth raw steak in the past hour alone, tears flooding his eyes but never falling. He desperately wished that this was some kind of cruel fever dream, that come morning he would wake up to a concerned Rouge, offering him some migraine medicine. 

But as he tore open another package for his next two steaks with bloodied claws, sinking red-stained fangs into the meat before he was even done removing the thin plastic, he knew his silent plea fell on deaf ears.

The silhouette store straight through him, taking maddening delight in his horror and anguish.

θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ 

**_2 days ago._ **

Shadow had been avoiding Rouge for the past few days, firstly because the fire breath incident still felt fresh. After finding his new craving, his intent became waiting until his...peculiar new diet became manageable. He'd been doing such a good job of losing her in the crowd, putting distance between them if they were in the same room or corridor, limiting their interactions.

"Shadow, you need to see someone! Whatever's going on isn't normal, even by your standards!" 

Fate decided to play football, and made it's goal.

"Rouge, we are not having this conversation. I can handle whatever's happening, I'll be alright."

He turned away from Rouge, fur prickling in agitation of having this confrontation before he felt prepared. He took not even a full step before two hands clasped one of his, forcing the ebony hedgehog to face the snowy bat.

"Everyone's getting concerned, wanting updates with what's happening. Sonic stops by daily, constantly asking about how you've been. Tails makes nightly calls, even offering to let you use his equipment. Amy's been texting me hourly with advice she thinks could help. Hell, even Knuckles has offered a trip to the Master Emerald Shrine if things become dire, you _know_ it's bad if Knux offers it!"

"While I appreciate their concern, it's nothing that will involve them. Leave it be, let it go."

"This isn't okay, something is happening to you. Whatever these changes are can't be good. Shadow, please, we need to do something!"

The mention of 'we' had him gripping his fist and pulling up in an arc, effectively removing his hand from hers. He turned away, taking a few steps as he started talking.

"This is something I can deal with on my own, no need for your concern. It'll turn out alright."

"Since when is blacking out often alright? Since when is the smell of raw meat filling your apartment alright? Since when is breathing fire alright?!"

Shadows head whipped around to face her, eyes wide and mouth slightly open, yet didn't say anything.

"Don't you dare think for a second that I'm letting this go. Your body is changing, mutating even! We want to help you fix this, _I_ want to help you! _Please,_ tell me what's wrong so I can!" Rouge dared to take a few steps closer.

Shadow stared back in horror, clutching at his stomach, curling and unfurling his hands. 

_She's only seen me blackout once, how'd she find out about the other times?!_

_I cleaned everything with bleach twice, how did she pick up the scent?!_

_How much does she know?!_

"Shadow, please?" The snow white bat reached out to him, resting her pristine glove against his cheek.

The one that still carried the scent of her blood.

In his panic, he gave out a startled cry, pushing her away; then turned and fled. Air Skates flared to life, giving him a much needed boost of speed to distance himself from his friend. Thankfully most officials were either in their office or off the premises, making it easy to dodge the few scattered about the corridors. He didn't dare look back as he weaved his way through the maze-like structure, the only thoughts occupying his mind being along the lines of 'get out' and 'get away'. 

He spotted a familiar face exiting the shooting range, cursing when they turned to face his direction.

Omega caught sight of him making the maddest dash yet of his career.

《SHADOW, WHAT IS YOUR GOAL OF RUNNING THRO-》 Omega didn't get to finish as Shadow cleared a distance of 5 feet over his head, running along the walls.

"Can'tstopblockRougeformeokaybye!"

Whatever Omega responded back was lost to the rush of air as he continued his fleeing. A few more turns revealed his goal, the long corridor of a back entrance. 

A small cry of victory escaped his mouth, a rare grin, albeit small, graced his lips.

In his tunnel-visioned running, he never felt the aches of his body changing, never noticed the hallway getting smaller.

As he opened the door, his face made full contact with the wall above said door, something he distinctly remembered accepting he would never achieve without some form of help. Stars danced in his vision, a dull throb overtaking his face. The hall felt too crowded, as if the walls closed in. He lifted his head slightly, noticing his knee rested on the door's handle. A hand attempted to meet his aching forehead, but the attached elbow caught the wall, setting off a wave of stinging that had him turn. One finger alone could flick Sonic back a few dozen feet, the whole set could send him into orbit (or the hospital).

_This isn't right._

Shadow tried to stand, but his body's new size caused the frame to dig into his sides as he attempted to twist around, pinning his right arm. Ducking under the door was out of the question, his quills were trapped on opposite sides of the frame. 

Shadow ragdolled, using his feet to drag himself forward. Once fully outside, he stood up, finally noticing his new size. He measured himself against the door, and yes, turns out he was exactly 6 feet. His gloves and shoes felt tight, like a child squeezing into an old shirt they refused to let go. He couldn't help but run his crimson eyes over his body, brain running kilometres a second as he took in his new size.

_This is beyond alright._

"SHADOW!" 

Rouge's voice made him turn, greeted with the sight of the agent, flanked by Omega, at the far end of the hall. It made him instinctively step backwards in fear, wanting to keep the distance he made. He kept going back, not stopping until he reached the electrified fence. Even as the thrum of electricity coursed through his body, his gaze stayed fixed on his friends. It was only when they got halfway down the hall he remembered his abilities. 

A too-quick "Chaos Control" and flash later, the ebony hedgehog collapsed on his bed in utter exhaustion. The dull throb in his forehead meant nothing.

The silhouette stared right through him, determining that it needed to finish soon.

θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ θ 

**_Today_ **

No no no no _no NO NO-! _

Shadow's internal screaming reached its volume peak as he poked the protrusion in the center of his head. It shifted under the lid, turning his already cold blood frozen. He dared to hope he was currently in the most realistic fever dream ever known to man. The same hope he'd been having since watching his tongue split of its own machinations.

Because there was in no high hell way a third, bright orange eye had dared to take residence in his head.

The dull throb from last night turned excruciating, awakening him in the early hour of 3 AM, never rising or lowering in intensity for the morning, until only two minutes ago, when it opened in excruciating, heated agony. Shadow could only blindly ( _that's a lie, even with his eyes blurred by tears and squeezed shut, he could see everything clearly through the alien opening)_ stumble to the bathroom, knocking over furniture and decor alike. The squeeze through the door, despite being tight, thankfully was manageable (he doesn't regret purchasing the living space with the largest rooms), and he peered into the mirror, still adorned with the scratches from the Friday a little over a week ago.

It closed by the time he got to the bathroom, but he couldn't help but feel around the alien object residing between his brows. 

When he actually felt the protrusion on his forehead, he choked back a shout.

The sight of it opening to reveal an actual, functioning, inhumane eye turned that choked shout into a horrified scream.

Violently shaking his head, the red striped hedgehog pressed his left palm against the spot, the other searching for the cold water handle. Once the chilled water flowed over the appendage, he scooped it up, throwing it against his face. After a dozen or so splashes, he turned the water off, daring to open his (the ones he's always had, the ones he knew were _his_ ) eyes as he gripped the counter. 

Staring back at him were eyes ( _Those aren't my eyes they're not mine they're not mine THAT ISN'T ME-)_ shining golden orange. 

The stone counter top shattered from the vice grip his claws made. He threw himself backwards, breaking the door off the hinges, splintering the frame from both the force and his body crashing through. This didn't matter to him, he needed to get away from that sickening reflection.

Whole body ablaze, vision blurred from the infernal throbbing in his skull, he could do little more than drag himself down the hall to the much more spacious living room. He strained to reach the couch, his energy spent, only able to drape his shuddering body over the seat cushions. Mouth open to fervently gasp down air, he could do nothing more than hold himself upright, but even then he needed help from the furniture to do so. The throbbing that still persisted in his head turned his vision into a ruined VHS film, colored blurs, static and all.

Everything stilled, the only sounds in the apartment being Shadow's quick breathing and the low thrum of power cords.

The silhouette flashed, all past glimpses combined into one.

His ears audibly split.

The scream that tore from his throat rivaled the roar of the Biolizard, straining the muscle as his body started its mutation. 

He writhed as the split appendages hardened and curved inwards. Just below where each ear used to be situated, a sharp, hot needling sensation grew, until a curved horn much like the other two pushed out of his skin. They shifted in his scalp, the sensation akin to scalding water and broken arms. Once settled into their new positions, they formed a crude v-shape, in a sort of pseudo-crown.

A pulling sensation overtook his tail, causing the ebony hybrid to arch his back. Not a moment later, something snaked alongside the back of his legs, causing him to crane his neck. 

Behind him, flailing wildly, is a tail too long. He could only watch in horror as the tail lengthened, the bone audibly cracking as the sections separated, shattered, and reformed rapidly. Muscles surrounding the bones pulled apart and healed instantly as they strained to keep in sync with the bone's reformation. The tip's color bled from ebony into red, curling into a hook-like end. With cracking and heated pressure, three spikes formed in a similar curvature to the hook end.

Shadow had no time to even gasp in surprise, his whole body ignited with excruciating agony.

He could feel every individual muscle squirm as they swelled and stretched, gaining mass and changing his lithe physique into one that could easily crush bodies. His skeleton splintered halfway through, rearranging and elongating, having him gain additional height on top of his growth spurt from days before. His splintering and reforming bones added 3 additional feet, enough height to make it possible for him to brush against the ceiling. The new bone structure reformed properly in moments, now able to support his new weight.

Arms swelling with stronger, thicker muscle caused his arms to involuntarily twitch and jerk, blurring his vision with pain. His shoulders and elbows felt as if stakes were being shoved through from the inside, pushing their way out with no care of hurting the host. Shadow had only enough time to peek at one arm before spikes took residence in the mentioned areas. The single spike in his shoulders audibly split, forming two that curved upward. The red stripes on his arms bled over his ebony fur, disappearing under the new shoulder protrusions and down his palm, ending just above his wrist.

Shadow had enough coherency to detach his Inhibitor Rings as his claws thickened, becoming more talon-esque, sharpening to rip and tear any material upon contact. His gloves strained as his hands thickened, bursting as his body swelled. 

His legs swelled next, the muscle changing from a form that could bring great speed to individuals, into one that could easily make the body clear stories of height or just as easily punt vehicles through cement walls. He could feel his socks strain as the muscle thickened, feebly trying to hold together, but ultimately gave out in the end. Thick hooved feet burst forth, splintering the wood floor when they slammed down. Red creeped over his lower legs,never straying above the knee or below the ankle, staining ebony in a wrap of the furious color.

His fur (normally cared for, despite being in disarray after this morning's stressful awakening) weaved together and hardened, becoming a thick, leathery hide- much like the hides of the Black Arms. His white tuft of chest fur stained itself red as it knit together, forming a weird v-shaped poncho over his shoulders and in the center of his chest. His brow stripes moved the side of his eyes, forming a jagged bolt shape, before running down the cheeks of his white, noseless muzzle. 

Glowing radioactive green dribbled past his lips in thin streams. Shadow didn't scream so much as howled, his teeth taking their turn to change. Each tooth screamed as they elongated, forcibly pulled further out of his gums. They sharpened to canines, white bone material covering each flat tooth, brandishing them with new points. Ones that already held points grew larger and more prominent, brushing the sides of his forked tongue. 

The same radioactive fluid _(no, if it's coming from me, it-it's my blood, it's my blood why is it that color-)_ forced itself up his throat and out his lips, splattering on the floor as he doubled over and wheezed. Shadow involuntarily shuddered, unable to even groan as his larynx stretched as it reformed. His hands clutched at his throat, wheezing as he forced air down. As it started to finish reforming and the subsequent healing, he could only widen his eyes. _My voice, that is_ _not_ _my voice._ The noise that came through his white lips was too guttural, harsh and low. Just barely, he heard a slivered whisper of his real voice, too weak against the growls. The voice was too similar to _HIS_. He so desperately wanted to claw out his own throat, just to remove that reminder out of his body.

Just like that, it ended with full-body throbbing.

Shadow stood there, his body drained and in absolute agony, his mind too cluttered and scratchy from an alien influence. Each voice started as a whisper, growing in volume in seconds as a red and black haze crept over his mind and vision alike. He could feel thousands upon thousands of eyes- no, thousands upon thousands of the same eye- staring right through his entire being, straight into his core.

With one final flash, the silhouette appeared-and lingered. No longer was it hidden in the shadows, fully on display for him to gape at in disbelief. Though he wasn't looking at the shape that had been plaguing his mind for the past two weeks.

Shadow instead looked at the all too familiar newcomer.

_It's so nice to see you with more of your proper heritage, son._

Shadow's eyes widened, his mind in an abrupt clarity, as the voice fully registered in recognition.

_Black Doom?_

"Shadow…?"

Whipping his head around, he came to the sight of Rouge staring straight into his alien eyes, a bag of migraine medicine discarded on the floor beside her in shock. 

Ruinous, hungry, violent thoughts flooded his mind, making him visibly flinch away from the bat. Shadow could feel his control being ripped away from him as she dared to approach, his mind's voice being drowned by discordant thoughts.

 _NonononostopstopletmegoletmeGOROUGERUNESCAPEFROM_ **_ME-_ **

His body (could he even call it his if the body was forced to turn into this?) visibly trembled as he used his last remaining shred of will to utter one word to his friend.

It was the only time he heard his voice over the guttural sound of his father's.

**_" RUN."_ **

Shadow's mind was dragged to the inky black and blood red discord, and he screamed when his body lunged for Rouge, before the abhorrent haze overtook him.

**Author's Note:**

> enby-lievable on the Pocket Hog Discord said I should "introduce Shadow to steak tartare" (yes it's a real dish and yes it is served 100% raw, they put a raw egg yolk over it as well). BET YOU WEREN'T EXPECTING THIS. >:)  
> And before I get asked, the coffee thing is a reference to Tokyo Ghoul, as it also was the inspiration for how Shadow looses the ability to eat regular food other than raw meat and blood. (It's a whole other thing if he prefers... fresher food.)
> 
> The artwork used is 100% mine, and I'm damn proud of it. I could do less with the hand cramps though.
> 
> Once again, thank you TheMostMysteriousOne for beta reading, and Nutkin for being the test audience!!!!  
> Kudos and comments highly appreciated!!


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